Minimally invasive surgical (MIS) procedures have become more common using robotic (e.g., telerobotic) surgical systems. One example of such a system is the minimally invasive robotic surgery system described in commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 7,155,315 (filed Dec. 12, 2005), entitled “Camera Referenced Control in a Minimally Invasive Surgical Apparatus.”
A common form of minimally invasive surgery is endoscopy. Endoscopic surgical instruments in minimally invasive medical techniques generally include an endoscope for viewing the surgical field and working tools defining end effectors. The working tools are similar to those used in conventional (open) surgery, except that the working end or end effector of each tool is separated from its handle by an approximately 12-inch long extension tube. Typical surgical end effectors include clamps, graspers, scissors, staplers, or needle holders, as examples.
To manipulate end effectors, a human operator, typically a surgeon, manipulates or otherwise commands a locally provided master manipulator. Commands to the master manipulator are translated as appropriate and sent to a slave manipulator that could be remotely deployed. The slave manipulator then moves the end effector according to the user's commands.
In order to duplicate the “feel” of actual surgery, force feedback may be included in minimally invasive robotic surgical systems. To provide such feedback, conventional systems have the remote slave manipulator feed back force information to the master manipulator, and that force information is utilized to provide haptic feedback to the surgeon so that the surgeon feels as if he or she is manipulating the end effectors directly by hand.